ROADS – The proposed Hereford Bypass

NOVEMBER 2019

Before the May 2019 council elections, the then Herefordshire Council had selected a preferred route route for the bypass. This red route would pass through the middle of the parish. They were proceeding with detailed investigations along this route and preparing a business case to try and secure national funding for the road

In May 2019 a new Council was elected and this change in political control meant that all new major road schemes proposed for Herefordshire were likely to be re-examined very closely. This has proved to be the case. The new Cabinet member for Infrastructure – Councillor J Harrington – decided to pause work on these schemes and review them. As allowed under the Council’s ‘call in ‘ procedures, opposition councillors required this decision to be examined by the General Scrutiny Committee before it was implemented. This happened in September 2019.

The Scrutiny Committee made four recommendations covering the impact of the delay on funding, work that had already been programmed, consultation and maintaining the contact data-bases of everyone who had previously expressed opinions about the bypass. These were accepted by Councillor Harrington who has recently confirmed hs decision to pause and review the justification for the proposed bypass as well as that for the Southern Link Road running from Grafton on the A49 to the Abergavenny Road (A465) at Belmont.

The results of the review are expected to be available early in 2020. After that all the Councillors will have to decide if they are going to proceed with the bypass, or not.

JANUARY 2018

Herefordshire Council published a short list of seven possible routes for the western relief road through Breinton. To see a map follow this link. Shortlisted routes for the proposed road

The map is in the report that Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet approved. The whole report can be read here 

There were two Appendices to the report. The first gave details of the consultation last year (2017) about the Hereford Area Plan. The consultation also included questions about the western relief road. The consultation results are being used to support the case for building the road and can be read here.

The second Appendix provides a preliminary assessment of each of the seven shortlisted routes and explains how they were chosen. This can be read here

Breinton Parish Council has never supported a western relief road or bypass. Our reasons are summarised in this extract from the February edition of the monthly Teamtalk magazine which is delivered free to each house in the parish. The extract also includes a brief description of the seven shortlisted routes. You can read this here.

CONSULTATION ON THE HEREFORD TRANSPORT PACKAGE

Herefordshire Council tell us that they have already written to all landowners and housholders whose property or business may be directly affected i.e. demolished by one or more of the shortlisted routes e.g. through Warham or along Kings Acre Road. They plan to hold a preview event for these people on Monday 5th February. The consultation will continue as follows

• public exhibitions in the pod next to the Coffee Cart at the Old Market Hereford on Tuesday 6th, Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th February between 11am and 8pm. It is not clear if there will be staff available to answer questions
• an evening session on Tuesday 13th February at Whitecross High School between 6pm and 9pm. It is not clear if there will be staff available to answer questions
• the exhibition will then move to Hereford Library on Friday 16th February where it will remain until the consultation closes on Tuesday 13th March. The exhibition can be viewed during normal library opening hours and staff will be available to answer questions on Saturday 24th February and Saturday 10th March between 11am and 2pm

If you want to see how the consultation programme was publicised follow this LINK

Herefordshire Council will not be arranging any large scale public meetings as they have done in the past.

Breinton Parish Council will be holding its own events in the village hall for local residents and businesses. It is important that we share what we know and hear everyone’s views both for and against the bypass proposals. Details of the events will be published shortly so please look at this website, the notice boards throughout the parish and in the Hereford Times. You can always contact a parish councillor or the parish clerk for up to date information. Whatever your views please do take the opportunity to tell Herefordshire Council what you think by the time their consultation closes on March 13th.

The response from Breinton Parish Council to this Hereford Transport Package consultation about the 7 possible routes for the bypass and other related transport matters can be viewed by clicking on this Link

JULY 2018

On Friday 27th July Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet confirmed that their preferred route for the proposed bypass is the RED route through Breinton. This crosses the River Wye just downstream from Warham House, cuts across the Community Farm and meets Kings Acre Road by the Bay Horse public house. Please click on RED above to view a map.

All the reports and background appendices remain available on the Herefordshire Council website. Follow the link here. 

 We suggest that you start with the Preferred Route Report before you dive into the detail.

Prior to the Cabinet’s decision, the General Scrutiny Committee considered the choice of route on 18th July. They took a long time before accepting the route being recommended and found it difficult to probe the route choices very deeply.